Long Lane Residential Development

Long Lane, a key section of the Great Kneighton development on the southern fringe of Cambridge, has received planning approval. The proposal covers 5.4 hectares and will provide 273 homes.

image from architects

Working in collaboration for developer Homes by Skanska, C.F. Møller Architects and PRP have designed a contemporary masterplan which retains historic features from the existing site, whilst providing homes that are functional, flexible and sustainable.

The scheme provides a setting for an original Grade II listed farmhouse which is immediately adjacent, to ensure the history of the site endures and is respected within the new development.

image from architects

An existing boundary hedgerow at the centre of the scheme is retained as a focal point in a large park, from which spans a network of pedestrian and cycle routes. Surrounding the park is a diverse selection of housing typologies that create varied and appealing streetscapes, ranging in feel from semi-urban to suburban in response to the Design Code. Courtyard houses, townhouses, terraces and apartments surrounded by mews streets, shared surfaces and courtyard gardens reinforce the enduring design of this customer-focused scheme which provides a tenure-blind mix of private and affordable housing.

All dwellings will be fully Lifetime Homes compliant, with a ‘fabric first’ approach that includes large triple glazed windows to ensure that either Code for Sustainable Homes Level 4 or 5 is achieved for all apartments and houses.

Chris Fay from C.F. Møller Architects commented:
“This part of the Great Kneighton development has the potential to be exemplary in the United Kingdom as we build on a Scandinavian approach that contends that only a home and a neighbourhood that is loved can be truly sustainable.”

Peter Dodds, of PRP, added:
“The park naturally creates a community focus at the heart of the development and we have reinforced this unique sense of place by creating subtly different character areas around it.”

Magnus Andersson, President of Homes by Skanska, added: “Like our Seven Acres development, Long Lane will create a welcoming environment for homebuyers, with distinctive and sustainable family homes.”